This is the gorgeous winning photo of Jupiter (with moons Io and Ganymede) from The Royal Observatory Greenwich's Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. View a gallery HERE (via buzzfeed).

The shot was taken by Damian Peach: "This photograph was taken as part of a long series of images taken over a three-week period from the island of Barbados in the Caribbean – a location where the atmospheric clarity is frequently excellent, allowing very clear and detailed photographs of the planets to be obtained. I’ve been interested in Astronomy since the age of ten and have specialized in photographing the planets for the last fourteen years. I’m very happy with the photo and wouldn’t really change any aspect of it."

In related news, a new study suggests that Jupiter's icy moon Europa meets two key requirements for harboring life:

Cut off from the sun, Europa's subterranean ocean would need some other energy source to sustain life. Hoehler said spacecraft observations show that there is a huge amount of stored energy in Europa's mineral-rich crust, but it is separated from the liquid ocean below by at least 6 miles (10 km) of ice. Like the two terminals of a battery, energy can flow from the surface material to the ocean only if the two are somehow connected, he said.

"What you're hearing about here today would be a way to take this surface material, transport it potentially down into the ocean and in essence tap Europa's battery. When you tap that battery, you move from a system which checks one of the requirements for life to a system that checks a second critical requirement for life, and I think this really impacts the way we consider habitability on Europa."

Latest Posts

CPAC. NRA executive Wayne LaPierre’s speaking time kept a secret for fear of protests: “Organizers for the Conservative Political Action Conference withheld the name of a top National Rifle Association executive from the schedule of speak… Read

It’s always the right time to visit New Orleans, and that’s especially true in 2018. This year, the city celebrates its Tricentennial, which means the Crescent City’s parties are going to be even better. While you can always count on world-class cuis… Read

The Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee has passed a bill that would allow faith-based adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples. Senate Bill 375 (“Keep Faith in Adoption and Foster Care Act”) would also prohibit the Georgia… Read

Donald Trump turned his wrath to Attorney General Jeff Sessions again today, asking why the DOJ isn’t investigating Obama for Russian meddling. Tweeted Trump: “Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administr… Read

As hundreds of Parkland, Florida shooting survivors looked on, the Florida House of Representatives last night rejected a motion to consider a ban on assault rifles and less than an hour later passed a bill to declare porn a public health risk. The W… Read

In a TODAY show segment which aired this morning, Gus Kenworthy gave a ski lesson to terrified rookie skiers Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie. ALSO: Gus Kenworthy’s is the Sexiest Bruised Peach Since ‘Call Me By Your Name’ The TODAY show anchors hit th… Read

Anti-LGBT activist group Focus on the Family (FotF) has declared itself a church in order to avoid paying taxes. In its application, FotF, which has previously argued that the legalization of same-sex marriage could lead to civil war, indicates that… Read

LGBT rights campaigners wrapped in rainbow flags have protested against a Harvard lecture by Jackie Hill-Perry, a Christian activist and poet who claims God stopped her being gay. Speaking at an event on Friday hosted by the religious student group H… Read

Televangelist Rev. Billy Graham has died at his home at the age of 99, according to a spokesman. Here’s an illuminating piece on Graham’s views of gay people: In 1974, when a young woman wrote to the famous evangelist about her sexual lov… Read

Jimmy Kimmel crafted a hilarious ad mocking Mitt Romney’s waffling on the subject of Donald Trump. Now that Trump is endorsing him for Senator, Romney, who months ago was hurling insults Trump’s way, is kissing the president’s ass.… Read